Workshop on Cortical Horizontal Connectivity and Cortico-Cortical Interactions

Cerebral cortex activity is determined not only by local connectivity but also by connections between different cortical « columns », via horizontal connections (in the same brain area) or longer range cortico-cortical connections (between distant areas). In this workshop, we aim at mixing experimental and modeling contributions to understand these different connections and role in computations, in different animal species. Experiments show how cortico-cortical connectivity shapes cortical dynamics, and that this occurs at different scales, from propagating wave patterns in visual or somatosensory cortex, up to large-scale interactions over the whole brain. Models show what types of connectivity and mechanisms are needed to understand these phenomena and their possible role in cortical computations. Finally, the workshop will give a special place to PhD students, who will constitute the majority of speakers.